Bringing the Latest Innovation to Shoppers: Buyers Attend Consumer Electronics Show 2024
The cutting edge of technological innovation was on display in Las Vegas this month at the Consumer Electronics Show—and Exchange buyers were there to see it all.
Attendees saw first-ever technology up close, such as transparent TVs and a set of headphones that translate in real time, allowing a conversation between two people speaking different languages.
Besides featuring the latest innovations, the annual showcase keeps the Exchange up to date and relevant in an industry that is constantly evolving.
“We go to CES each year so we can deliver the latest and greatest technology into the hands of our customers,” said Duane Jeffery, Exchange divisional merchandise manager for electronics. “It’s also a great way to solidify our relationships with key vendors and establish new relationships with other brands.”
Jeffery attended CES with four of buyers on his team: Alexandra Harper (audio); Dennis Robertson (TVs); Bob Schmid (PCs); and Danielle Allen (digital fitness).
“Our customers are very much early adopters, so we want to be on the forefront of the electronics market,” Harper said. “Our gaming categories, especially, are exploding right now and that’s because we make sure we have what our shoppers want.”
As expected, artificial intelligence was the buzzword throughout the conference, with nearly every vendor showing how they’re using AI to enhance the product experience. Audio brands, for example, touted technology that calibrates itself based on the user’s room for optimal sound.
For the buyers, seeing the products firsthand and meeting with vendors in person is an invaluable experience.
“We learn so much as buyers,” Harper said. “We get to interact with the products and try them out ourselves to gain firsthand knowledge.”
And it’s not just shoppers who benefit.
“Store associates are our customers, too,” Harper said. “Especially looking ahead to the Military Exchange Electronics Expo, we think about how we can better educate our associates because they need to understand that product as well as we do.
“They’re on the front lines of selling to the shoppers, and we want to make sure they have everything they need.”
The networking opportunities at CES also open avenues to new brands and vendors for buyers back in Dallas.
Schmid, the PC buyer, attended a presentation by a computer company featuring new handheld gaming devices. Schmid sat in on the presentation, took notes, asked questions and got the presenter’s contact information, all of which he passed onto the gaming buyer.
That’s an opportunity that may have been missed had the buyers not been on the ground in Las Vegas, Jeffery said.
“We were able to expand our relationship with this vendor and open up a potential new category of business with them because our buyer made the connection at CES,” Jeffery said. “That’s the kind of teamwork and networking that happens at CES that benefits our shoppers and the Exchange.”
